New Instrument Could Spy Signs of Alien Life in Glowing Rocks
Organisms on Earth produce a wide array of durable “biofluorescent” materials. If those on other planets do, too, the Compact Color Biofinder should be able to detect them
Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth
Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world’s biosphere
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Key Search for Life on Mars
Rolling up an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, the rover starts crucial rock sampling.
Scientists Sprout First-Ever Seedlings in Apollo Moon Dirt
We now know that plants survive but fail to thrive in lunar soil
Largest Marsquake Ever Recorded May Be InSight’s Swan Song
NASA’s three-and-a-half-year mission to collect seismic data from Mars is running out of juice
Will NASA Save Europe’s Beleaguered Mars Rover?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended hopes of launching the ExoMars rover in 2022. Now the mission may never lift off at all
SpaceX’s Starship and NASA’s SLS Could Supercharge Space Science
Scientists are beginning to dream of how a new generation of super-heavy-lift rockets might enable revolutionary space telescopes and bigger, bolder interplanetary missions
Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Soars on 22nd Red Planet Flight
The aircraft’s sorties are helping NASA’s Perseverance rover scout a path into an ancient Martian river delta
Russia’s War in Ukraine Threatens Joint Missions to Mars, Venus and the Moon
Interplanetary voyages are among several space science collaborations delayed or doomed by the ongoing conflict
The First Rocket Launch from Mars Will Start in Midair
NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle will attempt a wildly unconventional liftoff to bring Red Planet samples back to Earth
NASA Eyes Electric Car Tech for Future Moon Rovers
Space agencies are partnering with car manufacturers to custom build new rovers—or retrofit commercial vehicles—for future missions to the moon and Mars
What We Learned from the Perseverance Rover’s First Year on Mars
Despite some unexpected challenges, team members are setting lofty goals for the rover in 2022